The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that cancer of the esophagus was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and did not have a material influence in his death. The confluent bronchopneumonia with sepsis, shock, and multi-system failure were also not related to service.
The deciding factor: The Board found no evidence linking cancer of the esophagus to service or exposure to Agent Orange, nor did it find that the veteran's death was caused by a service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Cancer of the esophagus, Confluent bronchopneumonia with sepsis, shock, and multi-system failure
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 26, 2002
- Citation
- 0208486
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0208486.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the petition to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and has determined that the Veteran's cancer was due to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents. The claim is therefore granted.
- Whole decision: Denied
The veteran died in 1997 with cancer of the esophagus and metastasis to the liver and kidney. His service-connected disabilities did not meet the criteria for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death due to a lack of evidence showing that the veteran's esophageal cancer was incurred in or aggravated by military service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and thus denied his claim for service connection for cause of death.
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